List of National Football League career passing completions leaders

This is the top 50 National Football League quarterbacks career total regular season pass completions. Only three have less than 2,500 passes.

Drew Brees leads with 7,142 completions. Tom Brady leads in passing attempts with 10,598.

Regular season completions leaders

Drew Brees is the all-time completions leader. He had held the record for career pass attempts for the first eleven weeks of the 2020 season, when Tom Brady surpassed it.

Tom Brady is the all-time pass attempts leader.

Key

^	Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
*	Denotes player who is still active

Through end of 2020 season.

Rank	Player	Team(s) by season	Completions	Attempts	Pct.
1	Drew Brees	San Diego Chargers (2001–2005) New Orleans Saints (2006–2020)	7,142	10,551	67.69
2	Tom Brady^*	New England Patriots (2000–2019) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020–present)	6,778	10,598	63.96
3	Brett Favre^^	Atlanta Falcons (1991) Green Bay Packers (1992–2007) New York Jets (2008) Minnesota Vikings (2009–2010)	6,300	10,169	61.95
4	Peyton Manning	Indianapolis Colts (1998–2011) Denver Broncos (2012–2015)	6,125	9,380	65.30
5	Philip Rivers	San Diego/L.A. Chargers (2004–2019) Indianapolis Colts (2020)	5,277	8,134	64.88
6	Ben Roethlisberger^*	Pittsburgh Steelers (2004–present)	5,050	7,838	64.43
7	Dan Marino^^	Miami Dolphins (1983–1999)	4,967	8,358	59.43
8	Eli Manning	New York Giants (2004–2019)	4,895	8,119	60.29
9	Matt Ryan^*	Atlanta Falcons (2008–present)	4,867	7,443	65.39
10	Aaron Rodgers^^	Green Bay Packers (2005–present)	4,285	6,587	65.05
11	John Elway^^	Denver Broncos (1983–1998)	4,123	7,250	56.87
12	Warren Moon^^	Houston Oilers (1984–1993) Minnesota Vikings (1994–1996) Seattle Seahawks (1997–1998) Kansas City Chiefs (1999–2000)	3,988	6,823	58.45
13	Carson Palmer	Cincinnati Bengals (2003–2010) Oakland Raiders (2011–2012) Arizona Cardinals (2013–2017)	3,941	6,307	62.49
14	Matthew Stafford^*	Detroit Lions (2009–present)	3,898	6,224	62.63
15	Drew Bledsoe	New England Patriots (1993–2001) Buffalo Bills (2002–2004) Dallas Cowboys (2005–2006)	3,839	6,717	57.15
16	Vinny Testaverde	Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1987–1992) Cleveland Browns (1993–1995) Baltimore Ravens (1996–1997) New York Jets (1998–2003, 2005) Dallas Cowboys (2004) New England Patriots (2006) Carolina Panthers (2007)	3,787	6,701	56.51
17	Joe Flacco^*	Baltimore Ravens (2008–2018) Denver Broncos (2019) New York Jets (2020–present)	3,744	6,066	61.72
18	Fran Tarkenton^^	Minnesota Vikings (1961–1966, 1972–1978) New York Giants (1967–1971)	3,686	6,467	57.00
19	Kerry Collins	Carolina Panthers (1995–1998)[lower-alpha 1] New Orleans Saints (1998) New York Giants (1999–2003) Oakland Raiders (2004–2005) Tennessee Titans (2006–2010) Indianapolis Colts (2011)	3,487	6,261	55.69
20	Joe Montana^^	San Francisco 49ers (1979–1992) Kansas City Chiefs (1993–1994)	3,409	5,391	63.24
21	Dan Fouts^^	San Diego Chargers (1973–1987)	3,297	5,604	58.83
22	Alex Smith^*	San Francisco 49ers (2005–2012) Kansas City Chiefs (2013–2017) Washington Redskins/Football Team (2018–present)	3,250	5,193	62.58
23	Matt Hasselbeck	Green Bay Packers (1999–2000) Seattle Seahawks (2001–2010) Tennessee Titans (2011–2012) Indianapolis Colts (2013−2015)	3,222	5,330	60.45
24	Donovan McNabb	Philadelphia Eagles (1999–2009) Washington Redskins (2010) Minnesota Vikings (2011)	3,170	5,374	58.99
25	Dave Krieg	Seattle Seahawks (1980–1991) Kansas City Chiefs (1992–1993) Detroit Lions (1994) Arizona Cardinals (1995) Chicago Bears (1996) Tennessee Oilers (1997–1998)	3,105	5,311	58.47
26	Ryan Fitzpatrick^*	St. Louis Rams (2005–2006) Cincinnati Bengals (2007–2008) Buffalo Bills (2009–2012) Tennessee Titans (2013) Houston Texans (2014) New York Jets (2015–2016) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2017–2018) Miami Dolphins (2019–present)	3,069	5,054	60.72
27	Jay Cutler	Denver Broncos (2006–2008) Chicago Bears (2009–2016) Miami Dolphins (2017)	3,048	4,920	61.95
28	Andy Dalton^*	Cincinnati Bengals (2011–2019) Dallas Cowboys (2020–present)	2,973	4,782	62.17
29	Boomer Esiason	Cincinnati Bengals (1984–1992, 1997) New York Jets (1993–1995) Arizona Cardinals (1996)	2,969	5,205	57.04
30	Troy Aikman^^	Dallas Cowboys (1989–2000)	2,898	4,715	61.46
31	Steve DeBerg	San Francisco 49ers (1978–1980) Denver Broncos (1981–1983) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1984–1987, 1992–1993)[lower-alpha 2] Kansas City Chiefs (1988–1991) Miami Dolphins (1993) Atlanta Falcons (1998)	2,874	5,024	57.21
	Jim Kelly^^	Buffalo Bills (1986–1996)		4,779	60.14
33	Jim Everett	Los Angeles Rams (1986–1993) New Orleans Saints (1994–1996) San Diego Chargers (1997)	2,841	4,923	57.71
34	Johnny Unitas^*	Baltimore Colts (1956–1972) San Diego Chargers (1973)	2,830	5,186	54.57
35	Tony Romo	Dallas Cowboys (2003–2016)	2,829	4,335	65.26
36	Russell Wilson^*	Seattle Seahawks (2012–present)	2,820	4,335	65.05
37	Mark Brunell	Green Bay Packers (1994) Jacksonville Jaguars (1995–2003) Washington Redskins (2004–2007) New Orleans Saints (2008–2009) New York Jets (2010–2011)	2,761	4,640	59.50
38	Steve McNair	Houston/Tennessee Oilers/Titans (1995–2005) Baltimore Ravens (2006–2007)	2,733	4,544	60.15
39	Jon Kitna	Seattle Seahawks (1997–2000) Cincinnati Bengals (2001–2005) Detroit Lions (2006–2008) Dallas Cowboys (2009–2011, 2013)	2,677	4,442	60.27
40	Brad Johnson	Minnesota Vikings (1994–1998), (2005–2006) Washington Redskins (1999–2000) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2001–2004)	2,668	4,324	61.70
41	Steve Young^^	Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1985–1986) San Francisco 49ers (1987–1999)	2,667	4,149	64.28
42	Kurt Warner^^	St. Louis Rams (1998–2003) New York Giants (2004) Arizona Cardinals (2005–2009)	2,666	4,070	65.50
43	Ken Anderson	Cincinnati Bengals (1971–1986)	2,654	4,475	59.31
44	Cam Newton^*	Carolina Panthers (2011–2019) New England Patriots (2020–present)	2,613	4,348	60.10
45	Jim Hart	St. Louis Cardinals (1966–1983) Washington Redskins (1984)	2,593	5,076	51.08
46	Phil Simms	New York Giants (1979–1993)	2,576	4,647	55.43
47	Rich Gannon	Minnesota Vikings (1987–1992) Washington Redskins (1993) Kansas City Chiefs (1995–1998) Oakland Raiders (1999–2004)	2,533	4,206	60.22
48	Jake Plummer	Arizona Cardinals (1997–2002) Denver Broncos (2003–2006) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2007)	2,484	4,350	57.10
49	John Brodie	San Francisco 49ers (1957–1973)	2,469	4,491	54.98
50	Derek Carr^*	Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders (2014–present)	2,468	3,830	64.44

Playoff leaders

Through start of Super Bowl LV of 2020 playoffs.[1] At least 250 completions.

Rank	Player	Team(s) by season	Completions	Attempts	Pct. (in 100ths)
1	Tom Brady^*	New England Patriots (2000–2019) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020–present)	1,085	1,735	62.54
2	Peyton Manning	Indianapolis Colts (1998–2011) Denver Broncos (2012–2015)	649	1,027	63.19
3	Drew Brees^*	San Diego Chargers (2001–2005) New Orleans Saints (2006–2020)	481	721	66.71
	Brett Favre^^	Atlanta Falcons (1991) Green Bay Packers (1992–2007) New York Jets (2008) Minnesota Vikings (2009–2010)		791	60.81
	Aaron Rodgers^*	Green Bay Packers (2005–present)		745	64.56
6	Ben Roethlisberger^*	Pittsburgh Steelers (2004–present)	469	724	64.78
7	Joe Montana^^	San Francisco 49ers (1979–1992) Kansas City Chiefs (1993–1994)	460	734	62.67
8	Dan Marino^^	Miami Dolphins (1983–1999)	385	687	56.04
9	John Elway^^	Denver Broncos (1983–1998)	355	651	54.53
10	Donovan McNabb	Philadelphia Eagles (1999–2009) Washington Redskins (2010) Minnesota Vikings (2011)	341	577	59.1
11	Jim Kelly^^	Buffalo Bills (1986–1996)	322	545	59.08
12	Troy Aikman^^	Dallas Cowboys (1989–2000)	320	502	63.75
13	Kurt Warner^^	St. Louis Rams (1998–2003) New York Giants (2004) Arizona Cardinals (2005–2009)	307	462	66.45
14	Steve Young^^	Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1985–1986) San Francisco 49ers (1987–1999)	292	471	62
15	Russell Wilson^*	Seattle Seahawks (2012–present)	275	451	60.98
16	Terry Bradshaw^^	Pittsburgh Steelers (1970–1983)	261	456	57.24
17	Warren Moon^^	Houston Oilers (1984–1993) Minnesota Vikings (1994–1996) Seattle Seahawks (1997–1998) Kansas City Chiefs (1999–2000)	259	403	64.27
18	Joe Flacco^*	Baltimore Ravens (2008–2018) Denver Broncos (2019) New York Jets (2020–present)	253	447	56.6

Most completions and attempts, including playoff games

Bold indicates player active; minimum 10K attempts/6K completions.

1	Tom Brady	7,863	12,333	63.76
2	Drew Brees	7,623	11,272	67.63
3	Brett Favre	6,781	10,960	61.87
4	Peyton Manning	6,774	10,407	65.09

Historical passing completions leaders

Eight players are recognised as having held the record as the NFL's career pass completions leader.[2] The longest record holder was Fran Tarkenton who held the record for 20 years.

"Slinging Sammy" Baugh, the Texas Christian U. star was rated as one of the greatest of his generation.

Y A Tittle retired as the NFL's all-time leader in passing yards, passing touchdowns, completions, and games played

Johnny Unitas won an NFL title in the 1950s and a Super Bowl in the 1970s.

Fran Tarkenton about to throw a forward pass (1965)

Brett Favre had held the record from 2006 to 2018, when it was broken by Drew Brees. He had also held the record for career pass attempts from 2008 to 2020, when Brees surpassed it.

Reign	Player	Team(s) while leader	Career completions	Season
1932–1940 (9 years)	Arnie Herber^^ [3]	Green Bay Packers	37	1932
			87	1933
			129	1934
			169	1935
			246	1936
			293	1937
			315	1938
			372	1939
			410	1940
1941–1959 (19 years)	Sammy Baugh^^ [4]	Washington Redskins	414	1941
			546	1942
			670	1943
			761	1944
			889	1945
			976	1946
			1,186	1947
			1,371	1948
			1,516	1949
			1,606	1950
			1,673	1951
			1,693	1952–1959
1960–1968 (9 years)	Y. A. Tittle^^ [5]	San Francisco 49ers (1960) New York Giants (1961–1964)	1,696	1960
			1,859	1961
			2,059	1962
			2,280	1963
			2,427	1964–1968
1969–1974 (6 years)	Johnny Unitas^^ [6]	Baltimore Colts (1969–1972) San Diego Chargers (1973)	2,450	1969
			2,616	1970
			2,708	1971
			2,796	1972
			2,830	1973–1974
1975–1994 (20 years)	Fran Tarkenton^^ [7]	Minnesota Vikings	2,931	1975
			3,186	1976
			3,341	1977
			3,686	1978–1994
1995–2005 (11 years)	Dan Marino^^ [8]	Miami Dolphins	3,913	1995
			4,134	1996
			4,453	1997
			4,763	1998
			4,967	1999–2005
2006–2017 (12 years)	Brett Favre^^ [9]	Green Bay Packers (2006–2007) New York Jets (2008) Minnesota Vikings (2009–2010)	5,021	2006
			5,377	2007
			5,720	2008
			6,083	2009
			6,300	2010–2017
Since 2018 (3 years)	Drew Brees [10]	New Orleans Saints	6,586	2018
			6,867	2019
			7,142	2020

Notes

1. Collins was traded during the 1998 season; he played four games for the Panthers and seven for the Saints.
2. DeBerg was cut during the 1993 season; he played three games for the Buccaneers and five for the Dolphins.

See also

• Most wins by a starting quarterback (NFL)
• List of National Football League career passing yards leaders
• List of National Football League career passing touchdowns leaders
• List of gridiron football quarterbacks passing statistics
• National Football League records (individual)

References

• PFRef.com enumeration of career passing completions leaders

1. "NFL Passes Completed Career Playoffs Leaders". ProFootballReference.com. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
2. "NFL Passes Completed Career Leaders". PFR.
3. "Arnie Herber stats". Pro football reference.com. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
4. "Sammy Baugh stats". Pro football reference.com. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
5. "Y.A. Tittle". NFL.com. National Football League. Retrieved 2017-09-12.
6. "Johnny Unitas stats". Pro football reference.com. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
7. "Fran Tarkenton stats". Pro football reference.com. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
8. "Dan Marino stats". Pro football reference.com. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
9. "Brett Favre stats". Pro football reference.com. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
10. "Drew Brees stats". PFRef.com. Retrieved 2018-12-23.